SINGAPORE: A report naming CNA and The Straits Times (ST) as Singapore’s two most trusted news brands has sparked scepticism online, with some netizens questioning how the findings square with Singapore’s standing in global press freedom rankings and the close relationship between mainstream media organisations and the state.

The discussion followed the release of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 on Tuesday (June 16), which ranked CNA as Singapore’s most trusted news brand, giving it a trust score of 78%, up 4% from last year.

The Straits Times, owned by SPH Media Trust, was ranked second with a trust score of 77%.

Mediacorp brands dominated the trust rankings, occupying four of the top five positions. Channel 5 came in third with a score of 76%, followed by Channel 8 at 73%. Mediacorp’s news radio stations rounded out the top five with a trust score of 71%.

Overall trust in news among Singapore respondents remained unchanged at 46%, comfortably above the global average of 37%.

The findings were based on responses from 2,041 people in Singapore. The survey was commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, a research centre at the University of Oxford, to examine news consumption patterns, levels of trust, and the role of digital platforms across different markets worldwide.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Thomson Reuters, funds the Reuters Institute.

According to the report, samples were assembled using nationally representative quotas for age, gender and region, while education and political quotas were applied in selected countries. Research was carried out by YouGov through an online questionnaire between mid-January and the end of February this year.

While the report painted a positive picture of trust in Singapore’s mainstream media, reactions online were mixed. Quite a number of commenters online shared this meme showing former US President Barack Obama appearing to give a medal to himself as they reacted to the news: